906 E. I'm never gonna leave this place...

* Warning- the following post is dangerously close to a pity party... proceed only if you are able to put up with extreme pregnancy hormones/emotions and either A) agree with me or B) KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!


Three years ago me and Ryan made the big decision to move in together.  It was a fun and exciting time in life.  While most people pick out something together, Ryan already owned a home.  So we waited for his room mate to move to Oregon and then we made the big leap into co-habitation.  At the time I didn't really think much about the house...I was blinded by love.

The house was for lack of a better word {or words} a bachelor pad.  Gross stained carpet on the floors, dated 1970's kitchen with dark red paint on the walls, bathroom with a tub that was black.  The bedrooms are small with tiny closets and the windows are old and single pain.

This is a resale nightmare and I am living it.  For the past three years I have been working my fanny off to get it on the market and each year goes by and I seem to get further and further away from that goal.  Sure I have learned a lot along the way- like don't paint your trim and doors with flat paint {wish I had found Young House Love a little sooner} and my tool belt has grown considerably.  And yeah, yeah, yeah, I did a bathroom makeover all by myself while Ryan was out of town...but what do I really have to show for it???

I'll tell you what- a to-do list that is even longer today then it was 3 years ago.  I am going to be stuck in this 900 square foot twilight zone FOREVER!  I hear that doo dee doo doo music in my head right now and I am going crazy.

How will we be able to fit a baby in here?  How are we going to put it on the market and be able to show it when we have an infant?  Where are we going to put said infant?  Are they going to tear down the house that is falling apart next door?  Are they going to sell the empty lot next to us and try to put a house on it, even though it's not zoned for a house?!?!?!?!?!??!?!??!?!?!?!?!??!!?

Can you hear the voices too?

Don't even try to look at comparable houses in our neighborhood it will just depress you you more.  They are neat and clean.  Completely remodeled, with nicer showers and bigger kitchens.  Makes me wonder will I be at 906 East forever?  Will I ever get to put that glorious for sale sigh up in my yard?

Don't get me wrong.  This house has been a great house.  It felt like home the moment I moved in.  I have been the happiest of my adult life at 906.  I started this blog.  I planned a wedding.  We came home from our honeymoon to this house.  Me and my sister in law stayed here the night before her wedding, crafting into the wee hours of the morning.  So many special memories are here but it's time for someone else to make their memories here.

So here is the nitty gritty list of what needs to be done still.  You better read it and leave me lots of comments on how sorry you feel for me.  Cause I need your pity right now people- it's the only thing that is going to get me going again.  I need to know that you have been there too.  That it's going to be better.  That someday this house is gonna be for sale.  I need to hear it!

Here are some of the before pictures just so you can get a good visual of my poor, hard working, life for the past three years...

And while we have come a long way from these pictures we still have a lot to do...

:To Do:

Kitchen

scrap around edges of window frames to get extra paint off

paint underneath upper cabinets

order end cap for counter top on right side

install vent above stove

paint ceiling and lighting medallion

stage and clean for showing

Living Room

clean ceiling with magic eraser

have carpet installed

organize coat closet

paint floor vent

clean windows inside and out

stage and clean for showing

Den

new light fixture

paint windows and scrape edges for clean lines

clean windows inside and out

paint floor vent

organize closet

stage and clean for showing

install new carpet

Bathroom

caulk around the tub

caulk around the edge of floor

paint the floor vent

new coat of black on vanity

stage and clean for showing

Spare Bedroom

install new carpet

paint trim and windows with semi gloss not flat

paint floor vent

paint chain to light white

organize closet

stage and clean for showing

Master Bedroom

install new carpet

paint trim and windows

paint ceiling

paint floor vent

organize closet

hide internet and cable wires better

stage and clean for showing

Extras

Make sure that all door surfaces are painted with semi gloss paint

finish painting the front steps and shutters

power wash siding

stain back porch

paint front door

paint entire basement {walls and floors}

clean basement out and stage for showing

have Restore come and pick up old furniture

re- gravel driveway 

work on curb appeal somehow

So what the heck have I been doing for three years?!?  Sometimes I think I have just been going in circles...So for the next 2 months I will be doing a weekly check in with new after pictures of progress we are making to keep us motivated and accountable.  

This week on...

That's right.  I am being brave and I am showing you some raw footage today.  It is our old, boring, {with hints of white trash} yard.  Don't get me wrong our grass is always perfectly green {Ryan works for Scott's Lawn Service} and well maintained but it still manages to look like a sad and dreary place.

The back porch is actually one of our favorite places to hang out.  In the summer it's not unusual to have 10- 15 people over on a Friday or Saturday night.  I would really like to have a space we are proud of to entertain in. Especially since we have no room for even a small table for two inside our house!  So we have some major goals for this summer.

I don't have much of an attention span or a green thumb.  So I am trying to figure out a really basic plan to spruce this yard up.  I am going to be sharing my inspiration and projects with you all!  We may or may not be building our very own little beer garden.  I am thinking mismatch wooden tables that have been aged and an eclectic mix of chairs.  Maybe some mason jars hanging overhead with candles....I dunno people these are just the ideas I have floating around my head.

So I may as well just get the Before pics out of the way huh?  You know quit stalling with links like this,  with the idea of using a rain barrel to be more green.  Or like this, which shows you how to make the most yummy looking chocolate cake for Easter.  Or this sweet little home tour, I seriously want the curtains in her office.  Or I could share this e-course I dying to take about how to style your own home.

Ok, ok, ok,  I show you the stinkin' pictures but I am neither happy, nor proud to show you.  Please to do not judge me or think that I am one step away from redneck {if you can refrain from doing so, if not I understand, I would judge me too}

So there is some work to be done.  A lot of it is organizing and cleaning- who am I kidding, there is a lot more to do besides cleaning but let me have my dreams!  Things on my wish list are: something to hide the garbage cans, re-staining the porch, FLOWERS, maybe some kind of DIY outdoor kitchen area around the grill, and too many more things to list.  I have some brain storming to do!  This last picture is to show you all that I really live at 906 E. Reality!  It's not always so chic around here...